Blindfolded
by ThunderFlowers
Summary: AU. Sendou Aichi is a depressed teenager, haunted by her dark past. Kai Toshiki is just a normal and popular high school student except he holds on to his past, much similar to her own. "I like your hair," he unconsciously says the first thing that comes to his mind. "It's blue." Kai/Fem!Aichi
1. Chapter 1

Blindfolded

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><p>Hi, readers! This is a story to prove how cliche and hopeless I am when it comes to writing romance. Me + romance stories = serious brain damage, for some reason. However, I'll try my best to make any adjustments and improvements, so make sure to tell me if there are any changes you would like me to make, such as, correcting spelling mistakes, plot ideas, etc.<p>

I put this story under the genres Humor/Romance, but please be aware that there may be chapters where I decide to make them quite dark/sad, thus the story is rated T.

Actually, this story was a request, or rather, a challenge from one of the readers who reads my other stories, Яe-Birth and A Fall From Grace, and suggested that I should try to write romance stories for a change.

Normally, I would happily decline BUT as this is a challenge, I won't back down!

Finally, this is an AU story (kind of?) where Aichi is female and is the same age as Kai, Miwa and Misaki. There are no cardfights either.

Disclaimer: I don't own CFV.

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><p>Summer<p>

_That day, it was warm. The distant chirping of cicadas composed a harmonic melody, fitting to the heat of the summer. Like my mother used to once say, _the wind smells like the sun. _I would have thought that too, if not for the fact that I was standing, threatened, alarmed, by the glares of twenty students observing me. I raised my hand, in an unsuccessful attempt to wave; to greet the twenty pair of eyes that were suffocating me under the summer heat._

_A flicker of green stood out between the cold, unaccepting dark eyes, and I turned my gaze, only to meet with _his. _He tensed, green eyes, reminiscent of two transparent emeralds, widening in a contrast of curiosity and indifference. I looked down, and he turned his gaze back to the clear window, the moment of intersection between our gazes forgotten._

_The teacher smiled, attempting to ease my nervousness, but his forced smile was wavering, hesitant, fragile._

_At first glance, I could tell that everyone hated me._

_It's always the same._

_I can never make friends... because, I am Sendou Aichi._

_Despite that, my smile was still intact, even as the teacher pointed to guide me to a seat. Even as a blond boy grinned and introduced himself._

_When my eyes, again, met those green eyes, my smile wavered._

_"Yo, new transfer student! I'm Miwa Taishi, and this is Kai!"_

_Kai... somehow, that name was familiar. Kai-kun._

_"I-I'm S-Sendou Aichi. Um... n-nice to... meet you."_

_The student, Miwa, blinked, then grinned brightly, but said nothing. He shifted his gaze to the other person who was looking out of the classroom's window, Kai-kun, and nudged him with his elbow, complaining when he received silence as a response._

_"Hey, make the new student feel welcome! At least respond!" He scolded halfheartedly, in a hissing whisper. Kai-kun kept silent, glaring at him- one which Miwa-kun understood without words- 'Don't talk to me'. I smiled, slightly unnerved by their close behavior, but Miwa-kun noticed my discomfort and smiled at me._

_I smiled back. _

_Kai-kun raised his eyes to observe me with suspicious, narrowed eyes, and for some reason, my smile faltered. He looked at Miwa-kun, who seemed displeased with his behaviour, sighed._

_"Kai Toshiki." He spoke, voice deep and confident, yet his undertone carried unfamiliar coldness. He returned his gaze to the window, observing the bright clouds that decorated the summer sky. Through the reflection of the glass, I could see his eyes lose focus after a few seconds, and even though to anyone else he seemed to look out of the window, from my angle, I could see his eyes reflected in the clear window look at me. I gulped, flinched, and was about to offer my usual smile, but suddenly, I found myself unable to smile anymore._

_Perhaps it was the effect of the hot sun; perhaps the heat; perhaps the heated glares I received from students. Perhaps, it had been Kai-kun's eyes, reflected in the glass to give them a bright shade of green, that gave off a vibe that meant: _

_'I hate your fake smiles.'_

_I was taken aback by this, hoping it was just my imagination; the summer heat casting illusions. However his eyes grew distant._

"_I like your hair," he said, absent-mindedly, looking at my bewildered expression from the window glass. "It's blue."_

_"Huh?"_

_Miwa-kun gasped, opening his mouth then closing it, unsure of how to react to what seemed to be an odd behaviour. We shared confused looks as the class fell silent._

_Miwa-kun laughed, I blinked. My cheeks coloured crimson._

_He hit Kai playfully on the back, who seemed confused by the whole situation, yet managed to hide it well. "Way to go, Kai! Just now, was that a pick-up line?"_

_His eyes steady, he answered a blunt "No."_

_Miwa-kun, amused, announced loudly and excitedly, without consideration to the teacher writing on the board, "It was, wasn't it? So girls like Aichi are your type, after all?"_

_Kai-kun turned his gaze to Miwa-kun, his eyes bored, yet calmly threatening. "Miwa."_

_"She is, isn't she?!"_

_Ignoring my blush, I tried to calm the loudest of the pair. "U-Um... we're in the middle of a class..."_

_The piece of chalk snapped in the teacher's hand, and he turned to us, fuming. "You three!"_

_"Y-Yes?!"_

_"Detention!"_

_That was how we met again, after ten years._

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><p>They had met on a pathway in a small park, not far away from the main road. Their gazes shifted to one another, blue and green eyes widening, and that contact instantly disappeared as soon as it happened when the little girl looked down, and continued walking, making the other boy wonder if he had imagined it.<p>

Kai eagerly put down his unsolved maths homework on the bench he was sitting on, and walked up to the girl.

"Hi!"

Aichi ignored him, the grip on the strap of her schoolbag tightening.

Kai sighed, feeling a drop of nervous sweat slide down his cheek. "Don't ignore me like that..."

She abruptly stopped and turned her eyes to him, expecting him to make a comment about the bruises on her cheeks. Kai grinned at her, pleased at finally gaining the girl's focus.

"Your eyes are so cool! Especially your hair," He paused before her, oblivious to Aichi's silently shocked expression. "It's blue!"

For some reason, over the sounds of screaming and laughing children around the different areas of the park, she was able to hear his voice clearly.

The girl looked up at him; drowned in her eyes were fear and confusion which were quickly replaced with a blank look. He noticed this and laughed, hoping to break the layers of shield she instantly put on.

"I'm Kai Toshiki! What's yours?"

"Sendou... Aichi..." She mumbled quietly, hesitation clearly showing on her face. It wasn't normal that strangers would come up to her and ask her what her name was. No one had cared enough to do so, even with all those bruises visible on her face.

"Couldn't hear you?" The girl blinked as he leaned closer to her, tilting his head. She blushed slightly, her feet digging into the soil. "U-um..."

"Sendou..." She paused, eyebrows furrowing in concentration, before hesitantly adding, "Aichi."

She closed her eyes, expecting him to laugh at her or hit her like anyone she met would do. When nothing came, she opened her sapphire blue eyes to meet with emerald green, his eyes twinkling with excitement and life. "Nice to meet you, Aichi!"

Aichi blushed, lowering her gaze. His cheerful smile radiated warmth and it gave him an air of strength and confidence.

"Ah! I know this school!" He continued with pure excitement motioning toward her uniform. He raised a hand up to his chin thoughtfully. "I have a friend there, but..." His eyes lit up, waving away his previous sentence. "Anyway, are you going home?"

"Yes..." Her smile faltered noticeably and her eyes brimmed with tears. She hid her face under her bangs, pursing her lips tightly. Kai noticed this and frowned; he had asked something wrong thanks to his curiosity and intention to become friends with the girl.

Kai nodded and replied with a simple "Oh."

Silence seemed to pass by, and Aichi decided to walk away. She was stopped when Kai grabbed her by the wrist gently with an apologetic smile. He didn't know what had made her so upset, but considering that she did not cry yet and she was able to hide her tears so well, he saw her as a strong and admirable girl. He needed to apologise or at least keep her company until she recovered. "Hey, I was about to drop by the store. Wanna come?"

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><p>Kai tended to her injuries with care. He made sure to be extra careful each time the girl flinched under his touch. It must have been either because his hands were cold or she was too sensitive.<p>

"Ai-chan?"

She blinked, honestly not knowing exactly where from the clouds the new nickname came from.

"Huh?" She answered absent-mindedly.

Kai grinned at her. "Like your new name?"

Finally understanding what Kai was referring to, Aichi blushed different shades of red and let out a cute pout, slightly offended. Kai failed to keep a straight face as he burst out laughing. Honestly, this girl was so fun to tease!

Aichi smiled softly, watching Kai laugh. "U-um, can I call you K-Kai-kun?"

The boy smiled warmly at her. "Sure," He encouraged. His warm hands pulled away from her face as soon as he finished putting a few plasters. She was so quiet and maybe too shy as well as she fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, so he thought about adding a joke but he quickly decided against it. She looked like she had something to say.

"T-Thank you, Kai-kun," the girl stuttered quietly with crimson-red cheeks and she reached to touch the newly-applied plaster, causing Kai to smile gently.

"Sure, anytime!" He beamed happily at her. "That's what friends are for, right?"

_Friends...?_

Aichi sealed her lips tightly together, fists clenching.

_This is the first time..._

She buried her face in his shirt, two small hands reaching to pull the other into a weak embrace.

"I'm glad I met you, Kai-kun." It was his turn for his cheeks to colour.

"T-that's embarrassing, you idiot!"

Kai pushed the girl away slowly, but she refused to let go of his shirt, burying her face into it. He could hear small sobs escape from her trembling lips, muffled against his shirt. His expression softened, turning into a more concerned one. "Are you... crying?"

Panicking, the Aichi let go of him. "I'm sorry! Um, Kai-kun, I didn't mean to-"

He wrapped his arms around her to give her more comfort. He had no idea why he was doing this, but he felt strangely attached to the girl, even if he had just met her. She was simply the purest and kindest person Kai had ever seen, possibly even more than his beloved mother. Unconsciously, his arms around her tightened as he gritted his teeth. Judging from the injuries he had seen later, someone must have done this. He would never forgive them until he had the pleasure of killing them with his own hands.

"Idiot, don't worry about that." She would have flinched at being addressed as an"idiot", but they way he said it was surprisingly soft and comforting, unlike the way those bullies had hit her and laughed at her after calling her an idiot. She had cried silently to herself, curled up against the wall, trying to shield herself from the cruel words and laughter, and her heart would ache and burn as the salty tears slid down her bruised cheeks from the kicks and punches thrown at her mercilessly.

In Kai's arms, she felt safe and warm, even if she did not know the boy too well. She was afraid of approaching him because she was afraid to get hurt. The pain stung in her chest as she could easily imagine him leaving her much like the way anyone who she had met left her.

Her heart saddened as he suddenly let go of her, the warmth leaving her body. Was he going to leave her now? Was he going to mock her and bully her?

But he did not.

He wiped the tears from her face, almost too careful as not to hurt the fragile girl.

"You're really an idiot, Ai-chan." He joked.

Aichi blushed from the embarrassing nickname and her pathetic actions at the same time. "U-um... sorry!"

Kai laughed and patted her head. Aichi closed her eyes at the affectionate touch. He was a stranger whom she had only met about one hour ago, yet she felt like she had known him for many years... it felt so normal to be held in his warm embrace. She watched, curious, as Kai suddenly yelped and jogged up to the bench he had been sitting on, picking up a piece of paper, then sighing in relief. Aichi followed him, seeing his confused expression clearer the closer she got to him.

"How do you solve this again...?" She heard him mutter out loud, so she quietly approached him as to not interrupt his thinking.

"Y-You divide the first number by the third, then a-add two to the answer."

Kai frowned, and played around with his pencil, using it to point at clouds in the sky. A bird entered his range of vision, and with a huge sigh, he turned his attention back to the sheet. "Heh..? Why does maths have to be this complicated-" His eyes widen when he spotted Aichi looking over his shoulder. "Wait- I mean why do you know how to solve this _thing_?"

Aichi blinked, then cocked her head to one side with questioning blue eyes.

"Never mind..." He sighed again, and moved on to the next question. He felt the weight of Aichi's head resting on his shoulder, and he fought down a small blush. "T-This then...?"

"The answer is a fraction, one quarter."

Kai chuckled nervously at Aichi's automatic response, not sure if he should be glad he was getting the answers he needed or if he should be concerned for his friend's brain.

"You're really smart," Kai complimented, and observed the way Aichi's eyes lit up. He smiled at that, and turned back to the paper in hands, the frown immediately intact. He ruffled his own hair in exasperation.

"I can't do this! Let's get some ice cream or something instead!" He said, impatience growing. Aichi frowned and held onto his wrist, turning around to fully face the boy.

"Kai-kun, you can't... you have to do your homework properly." She scolded, making Kai groan in dismay.

"Great, I have another mother..."

"Kai-kun!"

"Yes, yes..."

The evening breeze blew through the top of trees and the leaves rustled. Both children fell silent as they listened to sounds they had never acknowledged to exist before. They were too indulged in each other's presence to notice the sound of people chatting or cars honking on the road nearby.

Kai's grip weakened on the piece of paper, accidentally letting the wind drift it away.

Standing on her tiptoes, Aichi reached to grasp the paper firmly before the wind could carry it away.

"Wah!" She exclaimed, turning to Kai. "Look, I got it!"

She announced happily with the brightest smile, clutching the homework sheet to her chest like it was a precious treasure. Kai, captivated by her beautiful smile, averted his gaze, trying to hide his blush. Aichi tilted her head in confusion.

He raised a hand to rub the back of his head as a sign of embarrassment, then smiled sheepishly. "Oh... thank you." He reached to retrieve the item but retired his hand as if in contact with flame, when his hand touched hers.

"A-Ah... um, sorry!" They both spluttered at the same time in a nervous manner, cheeks red. When their gazes met, they blinked, then shook the uneasiness off with innocent laughter.

Kai offered Aichi a bright smile, which wilted under the orange rays of sun. "Then, Ai-chan, I have to go home," He said, and reached to ruffle the girl's hair. He bent over to pick up his bag, and slung it over his shoulder, grin widening. "I hope we'll meet again!"

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><p><em>Ever since then, I was given the courage to continue with my daily life. Facing bullies, family problems and all sorts of difficulties was never easy, but when I thought of his smiling face...<em>

_... I felt like I could do anything._

_Maybe I am naive to think that someday, I'll meet him again, but if I really did meet him- if only a miracle would happen- I would like to thank him for everything. I am still weak, and I may still be shy and fragile, but I want to see that person._

_I want to see him again..._

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><p>Blue eyes widened as she walked out of the bathroom, fully dressed, hair dripping with cold water. She let out a shriek as she noticed the clock on her desk, "EEEH?! It's already this late?!"<p>

Aichi had recently moved from the countryside to the large city without her family, where she applied for school, got help to rent a small room in an apartment and made sure to inform her mother that she was doing well every day. It was difficult to get used to such a large city within a week, but Aichi had managed it surprisingly well. Now her only problem was school. In middle school, she was always getting bullied, and although she tried to hide her bruises, her mother eventually found out and worried about her daughter everyday, so Aichi herself suggested that she should try moving to the city, where there were many other schools compared to the countryside. She disliked the idea, but if it would help ease her mother's worrying, she would do anything.

A ringing sound erupted in the room, causing Aichi to cover her ears with her hands.

"It's broken..."

The ringing stopped, and as if reacting to her surprised statement, the alarm clock displayed the time.

"I'm sorry! I won't think of you as broken anymore, so please don't remind me of the time!"

The alarm clock rung again as if responding to her, causing Aichi to question her sanity.

A white cat appeared from under the covers of her bed, stretching lazily, "Meow!"

"Good morning, Akuma-chan!" Aichi beamed at the cat, and crouched down to pet him. The cat purred contentedly, rolling over to his side. "Did you see my textbook somewhere?" Aichi questioned, eagerly anticipating a response.

She was rewarded with the cat simply meowing merrily in response.

Aichi sighed.

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><p>"Shut up."<p>

"Ouch, that huuurt!" A blond teenager exaggerated, walking out of drama class next to his friend. "These two words stabbed your best friend's heart like a sharp knife!"

The other sighed, trying to conceal his irritation. He focused his teal coloured eyes ahead to ignore the gazes and unwanted attention they received from students and teachers on a daily basis due to Miwa's loud voice. He didn't want to be put in the same class as his 'best friend' but of course... they both ended up together in every single class, even drama classes, which were the reason why Miwa was being dramatic. Kai had decided that he despised the principal.

"That's why I should have ignored you from the start." He told his companion, eyes narrowing in annoyance.

Miwa noticed the commotion and gave his friend a sheepish grin, then proceeded to converse about the usual things.

"Did you do your assignment? That was so boring!"

"Yeah."

The blond's eyebrows furrowed as he realised that something, rather, someone was missing. He stopped in his tracks, and turned to Kai, who was walking ahead. "Hey Kai, did you see Misaki today?"

"No."

"Do you think she's ill? She hasn't called me yet."

"Maybe."

Miwa jogged to catch up to him and nudged Kai's shoulder with his bag teasingly. "Why are you being laconic all of a sudden?"

"Hm."

Miwa sighed at the answer he received and ran a hand through his hair. "There we go again with the one-word answers."

They shared a moment of glaring at each other, until Miwa broke it with a laugh and a light punch to Kai's shoulder, who merely smirked.

As they were about to continue walking, a shy voice called out to them, causing them to turn around, "U-um, please w-wait!"

Miwa was the first one to grin at the girl, being the friendliest of the pair, and politely asked if there was anything they could help with. Kai rolled his eyes, because- politeness just didn't suit Miwa- and the blond pouted when he caught on, slightly offended.

The girl fidgeted with a letter in her hands, her golden locks of hair covering part of her bright blue eyes as she moved to face the pair. "U-Um, Kai-san... I've really, _really _liked you for a long time... so, can you accept this?" Kai, being addressed, stopped glaring at Miwa and looked to the fidgeting girl stoically. Miwa gave him a look- _Don't repeat the same mistake you did yesterday when you made a girl cry by walking away_- to which Kai responded by walking away, ignoring both the girl and Miwa like they didn't exist.

"O-Oi, Kai!" Miwa called out, but his friend ignored him. He turned back to the younger girl, panicked by the heartbroken face she carried, and tried to comfort her. He never liked it when he saw a girl sad. He had seen way too many rejections from Kai everyday repeating in the same way that this one had occurred. "He is just uh... in a bad mood today... because... because of the w-weather!" He exclaimed, waving his hands around animatedly with a nervous chuckle.

The slightly younger girl tilted her head, blue eyes wide. "Weather?"

"Yeah, something like that!" Miwa gave her a sheepish smile, and took the letter out of her hands. "I'll make sure to give him your letter, so don't worry. See ya!"

Miwa ran off to catch up to him, where Kai leaned on the wall, waiting. When he spotted the Miwa, he started walking again after slinging his school bag over his shoulder.

"Shut up," he spoke, predicting a lecture from the blond.

"I didn't say anything yet!" Miwa defended, bending over to catch his breath. "That girl was pretty cute. Why don't you just go for her? There are like, what, six girls who confessed already. Is it really this hard just to accept one of them?"

"Twelve," Kai corrected calmly.

Miwa sweat-dropped. "Wow, you even counted them."

Kai shrugged, "Out of boredom." He answered bluntly, moving his gaze to the windows lined up against walls of the wide corridor.

"Yeah, I can see that," Miwa speaks, his tone turning serious. Kai, not used to 'Miwa' and the word 'serious' being put together, looked over his shoulder and paid attention to the blond's words.

"But, you know, you should at least provide them with an answer. It takes a lot of courage for them to do this, you know."

"It's not like it's my problem."

"I know that you still like _her_, but this can't go on forever-"

Kai tensed, his eyes narrowing. "Don't speak of _her_."

He reached and grabbed Miwa harshly by the collar of his shirt threateningly, slamming him against the wall. Gasps erupted around the corridor and before someone could interfere, Kai let go of Miwa's shirt, clenching his own fists tightly.

"Kai..."

Kai's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then he looked away silently, eyes carrying an emotion similar to guilt.

There was a moment of silence as the two friends shared unspoken words and glances.

_Sorry._

_It's okay. It was partly my fault, too._

Miwa snickered when Kai shot him a glare. The students around them continued passing by, confused by the sudden change of behaviour.

Miwa had known Kai for nearly his entire life, and one of the things he found the most surprising was that he could never bring himself to confront his friend's problems, no matter how much he tried. It was hard to get angry at him, too.

"Let's get to class. I heard there would be a new student joining us. Curious?"

Kai sighed and gave the typical response, "Not really."

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><p>Kai blocked out the teacher's voice as he sat at the end of the classroom, in a corner that seemed to isolate him from the rest of the class. In front of him, Miwa looked as if he was writing down notes from the board, but he knew the idiot was probably doodling all over his textbook. He turned his gaze to the window next to him, watching the clouds roam in the sky. It was hot, and he stopped caring about his studies a long time ago. So he sat, simply bored.<p>

Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed a crumple of paper land on his desk. He reached to pick it up, forcing the edges of it to open.

_I'm bored._

Kai recognised the sender immediately. Who else would send him notes in the middle of the class? In terrible handwriting, too.

Kai's eyes twitched in annoyance. He wrote an answer down, and threw the crumpled paper back to the desk in front of him, hitting Miwa straight on the back of the head. Miwa let out a yelp of surprise, making Kai smirk. Miraculously, the teacher did not notice them, or perhaps he did but paid them no attention.

_Do something about it then._

Miwa grinned as he read the grumpy response and scribbled down his answer.

_Let's skip class after this one. Deal?_

The response followed quickly after.

_Yeah._

The door slid open, interrupting the teacher's explanation in the middle of his sentence.

"I-I'm sorry for being late!" A quiet voice spoke, but it was clearly audible in the silence. A girl, with blue hair wearing her school uniform in an hurried, informal way blushed when the students around her started to laugh. Part of her hair was clumsily sticking out, probably from running, he observed. His eyes caught hers, and the girl stiffened, instantly averted them. She seemed familiar, somehow.

The teacher recovered from his shock of being interrupted and smiled. Anyone could see that the smile was forced. "It's fine. This is your first day to this school, right?"

The girl nodded her head quickly, keeping her eyes glued to the ground.

"Please introduce yourself."

She seemed to hesitate, before obeying. "U-Um... I am Sendou Aichi. N-Nice to meet you." The class instantly fell into chaos, with whispers and murmurs. The girl looked like she would melt from embarrassment.

"Very well," the teacher spoke, "Miwa Taishi, raise your hand."

Miwa eagerly raised his hand, and he introduced himself excitedly as soon as she walked over to him.

"Yo, new transfer student! I'm Miwa and this is Kai."

The girls eyes widened slightly, lips pursed together. No one had spoken to her this openly before. She guessed high school was a place where she could start anew, so she smiled nervously, hoping it would look friendly enough. "Um... nice to meet you."

Aichi blinked when Miwa grinned, and turned to a boy behind him, "Say something, Kai! It's rude not to reply to a girl."

Kai knew his friend wouldn't stop bugging him until he got what he wanted. He opened one eye to look at the girl, before turning his attention to the most interesting object ever; the window. He was conflicting whether he should answer the girl or kill his best friend because of his annoying behaviour. He shrugged, unconsciously speaking the first thing he had in mind. "I like your hair. It's blue"

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><p><em>Ten years ago, we parted at the start of summer. We met again, ten years after, at the end of the summer.<em>


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the long wait! I would like to thank everyone who Reviewed my story, Favorited and Followed! Your reviews were really encouraging, especially since I am not comfortable about writing romance stories. Also, it's a pleasure to know that I know most of you from my other stories. This fandom seems kind of small, doesn't it? And for those of you who like Yaoi, I have just one thing to say: I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I might try to write that for you but let me get used to writing romance stories first! You guys are unbelievable; have pity upon my suffering soul!

Disclaimer: I don't own CFV.

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><p>Red String<p>

_Back then, when we met, you told me things had changed. You changed, I changed._

_We always keep going around in circles, but we'll probably meet again through the red string of fate. Do you believe in it?_

* * *

><p>"I miss Akuma-chan." Aichi sighed for the tenth time that day as she absent-mindedly munched on her cheese and tomato sandwich. She sat alone during lunch, in an area of the vast playground where the cries and laughter of students could be faintly heard. No one at the canteen had spoken to her or offered her to sit down with them.<p>

_It's always like this. I can never make friends because of my shy and quiet personality..._

The shade from the giant Maple tree lingered, dancing above her, occasionally blowing a soft, cold breeze to hover on her skin.

Aichi raised her head to admire the different shades of green and orange, signaling the coming of autumn.

She was reminded of past memories, when the back yard of her house used to have an old Maple tree, where she and her younger sister, Emi, used to play, collecting different coloured leaves and laughing merrily. Her mother used to watch them with a gentle, doting smile; eyes shining brightly like a crush of diamonds. Those moments of happiness caused a burst of warmth to spread through her, tugging a smile on her lips. She sighed softly, fingers twirling the grass next to her.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a distant echo of a song she hardly recognised. She looked up and her eyes spotted a student, one she recognised from her earlier class- Miwa-kun, if she recalled correctly- the tree casting a faint shadow, while the sun illuminated half of his face. He did not pay her any attention, seemingly lost in the beats of the music coming from his red headphones. He looked up and blinked due to the sunlight blinding his grey-blue eyes, finally noticing her, and grinned brightly, waving with enthusiasm and brightness that would rival the sun's light.

"Yo, transfer student from earlier!" Miwa greeted her casually. He took off the set of headphones and instead placed them around his neck and walked up to her. Her blush intensified, and she tensed visibly before trying to think of a response.

_What should I say...? Is it okay if I don't respond at all? No, this school is a new start... I'll try my best!_

"H-Hello..." She paused, wide blue eyes looking around, unsettled, before they finally found the courage to meet his gaze. She shyly added, "And it's Aichi..."

"Then Aichi!" Miwa beamed, happy with the girl's response. "It's odd to see someone here."

Aichi tilted her head in curiosity, making Miwa chuckle. "Huh? Why?"

"Well, me and Kai often eat lunch here. Students don't usually come to this place, so it's pretty quiet."

"Oh... I'm sorry, I can leave-"

He sat down next to her, under the tree, his cheerful laughter vibrating through the place. "It's alright," he promised. "I often get lonely waiting for Kai to finish whatever he's doing."

"Oh..."

"So," he started. "Did you recently move into this city?"

Aichi was taken aback by the way he openly expressed his thoughts. "U-um, yes. I used to live in the countryside with my family... but I moved here because of some, well, circumstances."

Miwa hummed, raising a finger to his chin, as if in deep thought. His eyes lit up in a mixture of understanding and excitement.

"Ah! You're the new girl who moved into our neighborhood."

"Eh?" She blinked, blue eyes widening. "Miwa-kun, you are my neighbor?"

"Uhh, not exactly," He seemed to have a tendency to drag syllables for emphasis. "A family member of mine lives there and I visit that place often on my way to school too, so I happened to see many boxes and stuff."

"I see..."

Miwa stood up, and Aichi followed his gaze to see another student, light-brown hair and green eyes appearing dark and dangerous under the shade, unlike Miwa. He seemed surprised at seeing Miwa with a person- the new student- and that surprise was only displayed for a matter of seconds before he concealed his expression back into an indifferent one. He was about to walk away, hoping that Miwa would leave him alone and he could maybe get some fresh air at the rooftop-

"Ah, Kai, nice timing!" Kai sighed as Miwa grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him along. Aichi looked up at Kai, meeting his cold, indifferent gaze. They stared at each other, frozen in spot, before Kai averted his gaze to the side and Aichi did the same, cheeks flaring bright red. Miwa's cheerful voice broke through the eerie silence. "Meet Kai Toshiki, the most popular tsundere of this school~"

"Shut up." Kai hissed, turning his glare to his friend.

Aichi sweat-dropped. She was unsure what to think of the odd pair; one a bright beam of sunlight, and the other a dull, large ball of darkness.

She kept her usual smile and greeted," U-um... hello again."

Kai stopped his telepathic argument with Miwa, then acknowledged her response with a simple "Whatever" before looking away.

At Aichi's nervous expression, Miwa laughed and ruffled the girl's hair. "Ahaha~ don't mind him, he's always like that!"

When no one said anything, silence fell upon them once again. The wind blew past them, carrying their thoughts.

_This is awkward..._

Miwa looked at the two of them exchanging glances when the other was not looking, but he said nothing, pretending to look at his watch instead. He silently snickered.

"Ah, Kai! I was assigned the job of showing Aichi around school, but as unfortunate as it is, I think I need someone to cover up for me while I go to the bathroom." Miwa announced loudly, gaining their attention. Kai's eyes twitched when Miwa's gaze fell on him, but he kept his posture. "Please?"

"No."

"I'll buy you a new shirt."

Kai felt like strangling Miwa right now, and make it look like suicide but it wouldn't work with a witness standing right beside them. "No."

"I'll clean your apartment for two whole weeks?" He pleaded.

There was no response from Kai, and both Aichi and Miwa knew he was reconsidering it.

"Whatever." He finally spoke and Miwa took this as a sign of acceptance.

"Thanks, man! See you at the end of lunch, both of you!" He winked at the girl, and Aichi's eyes widened in confusion.

"E-End of lunch? M-Miwa-kun, wait!"

"You traitor..."

There followed a pregnant pause as both watched Miwa leave, in which both knew what the other was thinking, but neither knew what to say.

Kai shoved his hands in his pockets, turning around to leave. He might as well show the girl around to kill some time. "You."

Aichi flinched under the cold tone he was using. "Y-Yes?"

He answered monotonously with only one word. "Playground."

"Huh?" Aichi blinked in confusion, then followed his gaze. "O-Oh, this is also part of the playground?"

Kai nodded silently. "Are you coming or not?" He asked, shocking the girl to silence.

"Y-Yes!"

Aichi followed quickly after. She was surprised that Kai was actually doing the job of showing her around. Indeed, he was asked to do this, but he could have just left her alone. She smiled, realising that Kai might not be as bad as she thought.

_Just like him..._

She immediately regretted her thoughts when Kai Toshiki was nowhere to be seen around the place. He had continued walking ahead of her, not bothering to reduce his pace so she would be able to catch up to him.

"W-wait! Kai Toshiki-san!" She called after him, sighing in relief when he stopped.

"Kai," he corrected when Aichi caught up to him, bending over to catch her breath. Aichi paused to look at him with a confused expression.

"A-Are you being nice?" She blushed and looked down when he sent her a glare.

"I dislike formalities, that's all." He answered coldly, looking ahead and that was when she realised that they were already inside the school building.

* * *

><p>"...Gym."<p>

"Staff room."

"Arts section."

"Playground."

"Science section."

"Drama center-"

"Please slow down, Kai-kun!"

"Library," he turned to her so suddenly, making Aichi bump into him. She rubbed her nose with teary eyes, but Kai paid her no mind. "That's all."

* * *

><p>The bell had rung for the second time, indicating the end of the lunch break. Students had invaded the buildings from all directions, hurrying to their next class. After five minutes, the corridor had calmed down significantly, and although Aichi felt the relief now that she wouldn't get squashed and pushed around through the crowd of roaming high school students, she had another thing to worry about: the corridor was empty, almost too empty, and the only students remaining were unfriendly-looking delinquents who probably hung out in corridors to avoid class. Aichi was too afraid to ask them for help.<p>

"Um... where did Kai-kun say the science classes were...?" She spoke to herself, nervously scanning each classroom door for the correct label. Not paying attention to her surroundings, she collided against a person, but before she could hit the floor, a firm hand caught her wrist, steadying her.

"Are you okay?" A soft voice inquired, and Aichi looked up to meet a pair of deep blue eyes. It was a tall girl with porcelain skin and lavender hair that stopped to her shoulder in a graceful way. Aichi thought she had never met a person more beautiful than the one before her.

"Y-Yes, I'm sorry for bumping into you!" She sincerely apologised, flustered.

The girl nodded to show that she was forgiven, "You seem to be troubled... are you looking for something?"

"Actually, I am looking for my science class..."

"Let me see that." She nodded towards the paper that showed Aichi's timetable which she held tightly in her hands. Obeying, Aichi held it out for the girl to take it. She fell silent as the other girl read over it, then raised her head and pointed in a direction. "You walk down that corridor, then turn left. You should see many classroom doors; take the first one on the right." With that confidence, she seemed to have memorized all classrooms in the buildings. Aichi wondered if she hid a map of the school in her pockets.

"Y-yes, I understand," Aichi nervously stuttered and smiled gratefully. "Thank you very much!"

The girl offered her a soft, almost invisible smile, yet her tone was monotonous. "It's alright. Then, excuse me." Aichi watched her leave in the opposite direction, where she paused momentarily to glare at the male students hovering around in the corridors.

Her tone changed, and her blue eyes darkened and narrowed dangerously. "You people! Get going to class this instant!"

They caught her glare, and shivered. "Y-Yes ma'am!"

Aichi watched as the teenage boys she thought looked scary scurried back to their classrooms, reminding her of small rabbits.

She sweat-dropped. "Wow..."

* * *

><p>For the rest of the day, lessons went smoothly. The teachers introduced themselves at the start of each new subject, and Aichi politely did the same.<p>

She sighed as she poked her pencil absent-mindedly, losing concentration. If she remembered correctly, Miwa had earlier mentioned that he and Kai were in the same classes as her, yet whenever she glanced to her left, both seats were empty as always. Aichi tried to focus on the lecture instead, but her eyes kept scanning her surroundings. She felt restless in one room with so many people. Back in the countryside, there were a few schools and none of them had over fifteen students or so in a class. Feeling nervous, she caught herself glancing at the time every five seconds.

The ticking of the clock did not stop. The teacher's voice dissolved with the flow of time, getting more distant. Thirty more minutes until the next lesson. She wished she could fast-forward the time to a period where she would be able to go home, where her cat was waiting. As odd as it sounded, Aichi's best friend was the white cat living with her.

_Akuma-chan was a stray cat abandoned by his owner. I found him once before the stairs of the apartment I currently live in, wet and soaking due to a downpour. At first, we didn't get along well. Akuma-chan had a problem with trusting strangers. In a way, he reminded me of myself._

Smiling at the bittersweet memories, Aichi spared one more glance at the clock, sighing as the minute hand remained stuck in position. She covered her mouth as a sudden nausea washed over her. She stood up and trying to attract as little attention as possible, she excused herself to the bathroom.

As she wandered in the now more familiar corridors, she realised that she had no idea where the bathroom was.

Aichi spotted a door, and she carefully walked over to it, hand hovering around her mouth as the sick feeling worsened. Her stomach churned; she really needed a place to rest.

When she pushed the metal door open, a strong wave of wind blew past her.

_I was always like this... whenever there were too many people in a room, I felt like I would suffocate. At times like these, the wind always calmed me down._

She ascended the stairs with care, making sure her blurred vision would not cause her to lose balance.

Aichi pushed open a similar door as she climbed the last step. Her eyes widened when she was welcomed by another strong wave of wind.

"This is... the rooftop?" She thought aloud, raising a hand to her head.

As she approached the railing, a person's figure came into view.

"Kai-kun...?" She called out softly, in a daze, as the emerald eyes turned to her.

Kai seemed equally surprised when he turned around at his name being called. He narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"I feel sick..." Her voice was muffled by the wind, yet Kai seemed to hear her, for he grabbed her wrist and made her sit down on the floor.

"What kind of sick person comes to the rooftop? It's dangerous." He murmured and glanced at Aichi, who cast him a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. I just... like the feeling of the wind."

"Wind?" He repeated, his eyes shifting to the railway, and beyond it. The rooftop gave a view of not only the school grounds, but nearly half of the city, as well as the park, decorated with late blooming cherry blossom trees.

Aichi sat silently, taking deep breaths to calm down, but the fact that no other than Kai Toshiki stood there next to her made her feel worse. Even his name was unnerving.

She watched as his eyes focused on the sky, outstretched above them like a bird spreading its wings. He looked the same as always, but there was a different glint in his eyes, reminiscent of sadness. Seeing him look like this reminded her of the Kai of _back then_.

"Kai-kun?" Aichi called out softly, and he looked at her, deep green eyes focusing on her. She gulped at the frightening intensity his eyes carried- now, he looked like a completely different person from the one a few seconds earlier, but she continued nonetheless. "You're Kai-kun, right?"

He paused, a look of surprise washing over his face, but he concealed it with a darker expression. "No, I'm not the same person you knew," his hands clenched the metal railing, the coldness of it transferring to his hands. His face darkened and he spoke again, eyes colder than before, in a low, warning tone,

"You better stay away from me."

Aichi carefully stood up to her feet, eyes wide. For some reason, her surroundings still seemed to be moving and blurred, like the tilting deck of a ship. She could see him clearly though; the way his teeth clenched and his eyes narrowed. He looked hurt. Despite that, she felt the need to ask, to confirm if the person she had always wanted to see again was the same person who was standing before her. The way his face gave off strong expressions, though rarely, was exactly the same as she remembered _Kai-kun_ to be, the only difference being the way he tried to hide them. It gave her more confidence.

"Why? You're _him_, right?"

Kai kept silent, his expression hid by his light brown bangs. Aichi approached him slowly, nostalgia tugging at her heart. She looked up at him, blue eyes hopeful. "Is it really you, Kai-kun? I -"

"You've got the wrong person," he interrupted, voice cold and emotionless, sending shivers down her spine. "I don't know who you are."

"I am Sendou Aichi! You must remember me."

His teeth clenched, and his hands held the railing tighter until they shook in a form of anger.

"I... I've always wanted to thank you!"

Kai stiffened, his head raising slightly, allowing the surprised look show clearly on his face. "I am not the same person from the past." He repeated slowly, carefully, as if doubting his own words.

Aichi shook her head and smiled softly. She placed a hand over his own shaking hand. Despite the chilly wind, his hand was warm.

"You are still warm, Kai-kun. Like back then." She said. "I... I'll try my best to repay you, Kai-kun!"

Kai released his grip on the railing, and his features softened as he let go of his anger. He turned to Aichi, who was facing him directly, determined.

"And how do you intend to do that?" He challenged, expressionlessly but slightly caught off guard when he felt the grip on his hand tighten.

"I don't know yet... but I'll try my best!"

"Nonsense," he closed his eyes. "Do what you like."

Aichi nodded, smiling brightly, eyes glinting under the faint sun.

Kai shifted, placing his free arm up on the railing to lazily rest his head on it. Silence passed as both watched the sky, neither of them willing to take their eyes off the beautiful shades of blue. When Kai turned to glance at her, probably to tell her to go back to class, he misjudged the distance between them and their faces were suddenly too close; only a few inches apart. His eyes widened, and he could see that those deep blue orbs that turned to him widened as well, surprised by their sudden closeness.

The wind blew past them, howling. Her dark hair tickled his face, yet neither were able to move, frozen within time.

The school bell rang:

First beat, second beat, third beat, then stopped.

Like the beating of their hearts.

Kai and Aichi both blinked and looked away from each other. Aichi breathed, trying to calm her heart down. For some reason, it wouldn't stop beating this fast. Kai raised a hand to his face, as if hiding his expression, though when he spoke, his voice was steady and calm. "You should return to class. If that idiot saw us like this..."

The door flung open, startling Aichi but not Kai, who did not move a muscle, expecting the addressed person to show up as if he heard his name being mentioned. Miwa blinked, hands settling on the door of the roof, not expecting to see Aichi there, then he grinned mischievously, casually waving as he walked up to them.

"Yo lovebirds! Doing well?"

Aichi heard Kai darkly mutter something along the lines of, "I knew it..."

Aichi blushed, and retired her hand from Kai's quickly. "M-Miwa-kun!"

"Miwa."

Miwa flung an arm around Kai's shoulder, expression faking hurt. "Kai, I'm really sad. How could you ditch your best friend to go out with your girlfriend?"

Kai glared at him. "You were the one who betrayed me, idiot."

Miwa chuckled. "Wow, you miss me already?"

"Shut up."

Aichi followed their conversation, her heart throbbing in her chest as she watched them talk and argue soundlessly.

_What is wrong with me?_

Tears formed at the corner of her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away.

_I missed him, so much. _

She grasped the edge of Kai's sleeve, though Kai did either not pull away or he did not notice at all.

Kai and Miwa's argument was interrupted when Miwa was suddenly dragged back from a hand grabbing his ear, effectively wiping the teasing smirk off his face. "How many times did I tell you not to skip class?"

At the harsh tone, Aichi instinctively hid behind Kai, slowly peering from behind his back to catch a glimpse of the source of the voice. A female student stood there, blue eyes focusing on the blond, her shoulder-length lavender hair floating in the air as the wind blew strongly.

"O-ow, I'm sorry, Misa-chan! I won't do that again!" When the girl was satisfied with his answer, she let go.

"It's Misaki," She sighed as she looked down at Miwa sitting on the floor, rubbing his right ear to ease the pain.

"Devil in disguise..." He muttered darkly, flinching when Misaki cast him a glare.

"Did you say something?"

He raised his hands in front of him defensively, surrendering."N-NO! NOTHING!"

Misaki sighed, giving Miwa a hopeless look, before turning to the impassive Kai and greeted him. He returned the greeting by simply nodding once.

Misaki noticed Aichi behind Kai and cocked her head slightly to the side, blue eyes curious. Aichi blushed and looked down, nervous about suddenly being the center of the girl's attention.

"Who's that, Kai?"

"A student."

"Thank you for the straight-forward answer." She said expressionlessly, causing Miwa to laugh at Kai's glare. Her own blue eyes carried amusement as she continued, "Very helpful."

She paused and her eyes seemed to widen as she realised, "You are... "

"His new girlfriend-" Miwa continued, earning a kick from Kai which effectively shut him up. Misaki ignored both of them, and continued her sentence,

"...that student from earlier."

Misaki realised that the petite girl wasn't paying attention to her, and was looking at the other pair in worry, panicking that Miwa was badly hurt as he lay on the ground motionlessly, clutching his stomach. Kai opened one eye to peer through his brown bangs, curious at his loud friend suddenly turning mute. When there was no response from the blond, Kai frowned; he was not worried, not really, but he knew the idiot was up to something. When he approached him, he felt a hand grab his leg, trying to trip him, though Kai quickly regained his balance, glaring sharply at the owner of the hand.

Miwa doubled over with laughter at Kai's sudden show of surprise (It was hilarious, according to him), and Kai made an annoyed face- _Was that really necessary?- _and nudged him with his foot- _That's what we did when we were kids. Not anymore._

Misaki sighed, which gained Aichi's attention. "A new student, huh? I apologise for their behaviour. I am Toukra Misaki, nice to meet you." Her beautiful blue eyes softened as she spoke.

"I-I'm Sendou Aichi, nice to meet you too, Toukra-san!"

"Misaki is fine."

Aichi smiled shyly, "Then, M-Misaki-san..."

* * *

><p><em>I realised something... this rooftop is where they always gather. When they are together... they seem to change somehow.<em>

_Miwa-kun laughs more, Kai-kun looks less lonely and Misaki-san smiles more gently._

* * *

><p>"Okay, listen up, class!" Their form teacher slammed the pile of papers on his desk to silence the students.<p>

"I have some good news," he hurried on to explain before the class would burst into chatter. "I know this is sudden, but tomorrow we will be going on a two-day camping trip in the forest in order to improve our awareness of the environment around us. Please sign your permission slips and return them tomorrow morning. You are dismissed." He turned to the chalkboard as the students stood up, excited chattering filling the classroom.

"Are you coming?" Misaki asked from beside her. Aichi shifted nervously in her seat.

"W-What about you, Misaki-san?"

Misaki shrugged as she packed her books. "I usually just skip activities like these, but if those two are going, I think I'll go too."

Aichi followed her gaze to see the two friends, one talking animatedly and the other giving a nod or two, but was mostly ignoring him. "Misaki-san, you all seem really good friends..."

"We met during the last year of middle-school, but these two had been friends ever since..." She stopped, losing track. She smiled fondly as she continued, "A long time ago."

"I see..."

Their conversation was interrupted by a familiar cheerful voice.

"Sounds fun!" The blond poked at his annoyed friend's shoulder repeatedly. "Hey, Kai, let's do the two-day camping thing!"

Kai swatted his hand away, scowling. "Don't get over excited, idiot."

"I'll take that as a yes!"

"Who said-"

"Everyone! Kai said that he will be coming to the trip tomorrow!" He stood up from his seat and announced loudly, earning odd looks from students. Others simply sighed, familiar with the blond's weird behaviour. Their homeroom teacher walked over to them, looking pleased with the blond's announcement.

"That's great news, Toshiki-san! Your attitude to learning has been improving lately! I'll make sure to report this to the headmaster, I'm sure he would be pleased." He handed Kai a letter and one to Miwa, who snickered when Kai replied with a confused, "Yeah..."

As soon as the teacher was out of sight, Kai sent his back a glare, then turned to look at his laughing friend with dangerous eyes. "Damn you, Miwa."

_I'll make you pay._

Misaki shook her head in amusement and smiled at Aichi. "You heard them, right? Are you coming?"

Aichi looked down at the letter in her hand, and faced Misaki with a smile of her own. "Y-Yes."

* * *

><p><em>After that, we walked back home together. The four of us. It was the first time I had this much fun.<em>

_Is it okay if things keep going like this?_


End file.
